This invention relates to the field of jack dollies used for transporting hydraulic automobile jacks and more particularly, a jack dolly having four pivotally connected and cooperating arm members with at least four wheels for transporting a hydraulic automobile jack from a first location to a second location.
Hydraulic automobile jacks are typically comprised of an elongate rectangular body with a pair of front wheels attached to a first end thereof and a pair of rear wheels attached to an opposing end thereof. An elongate cylindrical handle is attached to an internal hydraulic lift mechanism, which, upon pumping of the handle, raises a support plate from the rectangular body. A valve can be actuated to release the internal pressure generated by the pumping of the handle to lower the support plate. The front wheels are attached to the body by dedicated axles and thus rotate around the axles. The rear wheels comprise a caster assembly, wherein a bracket is pivotally attached at a first end to flanges located on opposing sidewalls of the jack body. The wheels rotate about an axle, which is disposed through a second end of said bracket. As such, the rotation of the front wheels allows the jack to be moved forward or backward in a straight linear motion but prevents the front end of the jack from being moved sideways. On the other hand, the rear wheels allow the rear end of the jack at which the handle is attached to be pivoted about the front wheels or otherwise to be moved in an arcuate motion. In this manner, the motion of the front end of the jack, which bears the full weight of a motor vehicle when supporting said vehicle, is restricted, thereby providing a degree of safety.
As the jack is designed to function as a stable lifting and support mechanism for motor vehicles, the front and rear wheels are fabricated of metal into a relatively small diameter, which provides the necessary strength and stability so that the wheels will not collapse or buckle under the weight of a motor vehicle. However, the features that allow the wheels of the jack to safely support the jack and a motor vehicle lifted by said jack prevent the jack from being easily transported over relatively long distances, such as across the floor of a shop, over a road or parking lot, or into a transport vehicle. The metal construction and relatively small diameter of the wheels, for instance, makes the jack susceptible to becoming stuck in small cavities, depressions, or ruts in the shop floor, road, or parking lot or the movement of the jack is obstructed by small stones, pebbles, or uneven or raised floor, road or parking lot sections. This situation is further exacerbated by the limited mobility of the jack due to the means of attaching the front and rear wheels as described earlier and the relatively heavy weight of a typical hydraulic automobile jack.
What is needed then to overcome the difficulties and limitations of transporting a hydraulic automobile jack is the provision of a jack dolly onto which a hydraulic automobile jack can be releasably secured and then transported, moved, or otherwise wheeled about with significantly less effort and difficulty than that required for transport of said jack without said jack dolly.
Numerous designs for hydraulic automobile jack dollies and stands have been provided in the prior art. Even though these designs may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention. These designs are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,257, issued to Trowbridge on Oct. 31, 1995; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,826, issued to Nix on Mar. 13, 2001 and are intended primarily to allow a hydraulic automobile jack to be moved more efficiently while said jack is already positioned under a motor vehicle.
As such, it way be appreciated that there is a continuing need for a new and improved jack dolly that can be used to transport a hydraulic automobile jack over the floor of a shop, over a road or parking lot surface, or into a transport vehicle. In these respects, the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus that substantially fulfills this need. Additionally, the prior patents and commercial techniques do not suggest the present inventive combination of component elements arranged and configured as disclosed herein.
The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objects, and advantages through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and by employing only readily available materials.